Systems and methods for providing gratuities to merchants

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to method for facilitating a transaction between a service provider and a customer using an online payment platform. The method includes receiving a request from a customer&#39;s device to enter into a transaction with a service provider and receiving a request from a service provider&#39;s device to process a cardless payment transaction for the transaction. The method further includes determining a tipping process to be applied to the transaction whereby an automatically determined tip amount or a manually determined tip amount is added to the transaction. The processing of the transaction is delayed until the automatically determined or the manual tip amount is added to the transaction. The cardless payment including the tip amount is then processed and a confirmation thereof is communicated to the respective devices of the customer and the service provider.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of U.S.application Ser. No. 16/193,227, filed on Nov. 16, 2018, which is acontinuation of and claims the benefit of U. S. application Ser. No.13/612,731, filed on Sep. 12, 2012, and which claims priority to U.S.Provisional application No. 61/684,624, filed on Aug. 17, 2012, all ofwhich are expressly incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties.

BACKGROUND

Consumers routinely make purchases using plastic credit or debit cards.Such plastic cards typically have magnetic stripes or chips that areencoded with information, such as a consumer's account information. Acredit or a debit card may be used in a business transaction with a bankor creditor through use of a device that communicates with the bank orcreditor, such as, for example an automated teller machine (ATM) or acredit card reader.

Credit cards having standard specifications can typically be read bypoint-of-sale devices at the location of a merchant. When the card iscoupled to an electronic card reader at the merchant, such as a platformcard reader, the electronic card reader may use its built-incommunications interface to contact a creditor that handles creditauthentication requests to process the transaction. The transaction maybe finalized upon verification of the consumer's account information andthe receipt of an approval signal from the creditor.

Despite the prevalence of systems and methods that implement point ofsale transactions using plastic cards, plastic cards may proveproblematic in situations in which a merchant does not accept paymentusing a plastic card or a communications link from the merchant to thecreditor is inoperable.

SUMMARY

The disclosure provides systems and methods for enabling payers toprovide gratuities (or tips) to merchants. In some cases, a system forfacilitating payer-merchant transactions automatically tips a merchantupon the completion of a transaction between a merchant and a payer. Inother cases, prior to completing the transaction between the merchantand the payer, the system provides the payer the opportunity to elect totip the merchant. In some examples, the system permits the payer toselect a tip amount.

An aspect of the disclosure provides a computer-implemented method forfacilitating a merchant transaction, comprising providing a list of oneor more merchants that are in proximity to a geolocation of a payer, andreceiving a request from the payer to conduct a transaction with amerchant among the one or more merchants. The request can be received bya computer system programmed to facilitate the transaction. Next, a tipselection to apply to the transaction can be received from the payer.The transaction can then be processed with the aid of a processor of thecomputer system. The tip selection can be applied to the transactionduring or upon the termination of the transaction. In an embodiment, themethod further comprises providing the payer a tip option. In anotherembodiment, the tip selection comprises a tip amount to apply to thetransaction. In another embodiment, the tip selection is selected by thepayer from one or more tip options provided to the payer. In anotherembodiment, the one or more tip options are provided to the payer by thecomputer system. In another embodiment, the list is provided on agraphical user interface of an electronic device of the payer. Inanother embodiment, the request is received from an electronic device ofthe payer. In another embodiment, the electronic device is a portableelectronic device. In another embodiment, before providing the list ofone or more merchants, the geolocation of the payer is determined withthe aid of a geolocation device of the payer. In another embodiment, therequest is received from the geolocation device. In another embodiment,the payer receives a receipt upon the completion of the transactionbetween the payer and the merchant. In another embodiment, betweenreceiving a request from the payer to conduct a transaction andreceiving a tip selection, the computer system informs the merchant thatthe payer has requested to conduct a transaction with the merchant. Inanother embodiment, the payer is permitted to request to conduct thetransaction if the payer is at or in proximity to the merchant. Inanother embodiment, upon receiving the request from the payer to conducta transaction, the computer system initiates the transaction between thepayer and the merchant. In another embodiment, the computer systeminitiates the transaction if the payer is at or in proximity to themerchant. In another embodiment, the one or more merchants are within agiven distance from the geolocation of the payer. In another embodiment,the list of one or more merchants is provided on a graphical userinterface of an electronic device of the payer.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a computer-implemented method forfacilitating a merchant transaction comprises providing a list of one ormore merchants that are in proximity to a geolocation of a payer. Arequest from the payer can be received to conduct a transaction with amerchant among the one or more merchants. The request can be received bya computer system programmed to facilitate the transaction. Thetransaction can be processed with the aid of a processor of the computersystem. A tip selection can be automatically applied to the transactionwithout involvement from the payer during or upon the termination of thetransaction. The tip selection can be applied if the payer has providedthe computer system an indication to automatically apply the tipselection. In an embodiment, the tip selection comprises a tip amountthat is automatically applied to the transaction. In another embodiment,the list is provided on a graphical user interface of an electronicdevice of the payer. In another embodiment, the request is received froman electronic device of the payer. In another embodiment, the electronicdevice is a portable electronic device. In another embodiment, prior toproviding a list of one or more merchants, the geolocation of the payeris determined with the aid of a geolocation device of the payer. Inanother embodiment, the request to conduct a transaction is receivedfrom the geolocation device. In another embodiment, the method furthercomprises providing the payer a receipt upon the completion of thetransaction between the payer and the merchant. In another embodiment,between receiving a request from the payer to conduct the transactionand processing the transaction, the computer system informs the merchantthat the payer has requested to conduct a transaction with the merchant.In another embodiment, the payer is permitted to request to conduct thetransaction if the payer is at or in proximity to the merchant. Inanother embodiment, upon receiving the request from the payer to conductthe transaction, the computer system initiates the transaction betweenthe payer and the merchant. In another embodiment, the computer systeminitiates the transaction if the payer is at or in proximity to themerchant. In another embodiment, the tip amount is specific to themerchant. In another embodiment, the method further comprises receivingfrom the payer an indication that the tip selection is to beautomatically applied to the transaction. In another embodiment, the oneor more merchants are within a given distance from the geolocation ofthe payer. In another embodiment, the list of one or more merchants isprovided on a graphical user interface of an electronic device of thepayer.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a computer-implemented methodfor facilitating a transaction between a merchant and a payer,comprising providing, in a merchant card displayed on a graphical userinterface (GUI) of an electronic device of the payer, information of orrelated to the merchant with which the payer has requested to conduct atransaction. The merchant card can include one or more input fields,each of which can be for permitting the payer to provide a tip selectionto be applied to the transaction. Next, with the aid of the GUI, a tipselection from the payer can be received. The tip selection can beprovided by the payer in a given input field of the one or more inputfields. The transaction can then be processed between the payer and themerchant. The tip amount can be applied to the transaction. In anembodiment, the tip selection includes a tip amount to apply to thetransaction. In another embodiment, the merchant is at or in proximityto a geolocation of the payer. In another embodiment, the geolocation isdetermined with the aid of an electronic device of the payer. In anotherembodiment, the method further comprises providing the payer a receiptupon the completion of the transaction between the payer and themerchant. In another embodiment, the one or more input fields includeselectable elements. In another embodiment, the selectable elements arepredetermined tip amounts. In another embodiment, the predetermined tipamounts are specific to the merchant.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a computer readable mediumcomprising code that, upon execution by one or more processors,implements a method, the method comprising providing a list of one ormore merchants that are in proximity to a geolocation of a payer, andreceiving a request from the payer to conduct a transaction with amerchant among the one or more merchants. The request can be received bya computer system programmed to facilitate the transaction. Next, fromthe payer, a tip selection is received to apply to the transaction. Thetransaction can be processed with the aid of a processor of the computersystem. The tip selection can be applied to the transaction during orupon the termination of the transaction.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a computer readable mediumcomprising code that, upon execution by one or more processors,implements a method, the method comprising providing a list of one ormore merchants that are in proximity to a geolocation of a payer, andreceiving a request from the payer to conduct a transaction with amerchant among the one or more merchants. The request can be received bya computer system programmed to facilitate the transaction. Next, thetransaction is processed with the aid of a processor of the computersystem. A tip selection can be automatically applied to the transactionwithout involvement from the payer during or upon the termination of thetransaction.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a computer readable mediumcomprising code that, upon execution by one or more processors,implements a method, the method comprising providing, in a merchant carddisplayed on a graphical user interface (GUI) of an electronic device ofthe payer, information of or related to the merchant with which thepayer has requested to conduct a transaction. The merchant card caninclude one or more input fields, each of which one or more input fieldscan be for permitting the payer to provide a tip selection to be appliedto the transaction. Next, with the aid of the GUI, a tip selection canbe received from the payer. The tip selection can be provided by thepayer in a given input field of the one or more input fields. With theaid of a processor, the transaction between the payer and the merchantcan be processed. The tip amount can be applied to the transaction.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a system for facilitating amerchant transaction, comprising one or more computer processors and amemory location coupled to the one or more computer processors. Thememory location comprises code that, upon execution by the one or morecomputer processors, implements a method, the method comprising: (i)providing a list of one or more merchants that are in proximity to ageolocation of a payer; (ii) receiving a request from the payer toconduct a transaction with a merchant among the one or more merchants,wherein the request is received by a computer system programmed tofacilitate the transaction; (iii) receiving, from the payer, a tipselection to apply to the transaction; and (iv) processing thetransaction with the aid of a computer processor of the computer system,wherein the tip selection is applied to the transaction during or uponthe termination of the transaction. In an embodiment, the system isadapted (e.g., programmed) to provide the list of (i) on a graphicaluser interface of an electronic device of the payer. In anotherembodiment, the system is adapted to receive the request of (ii) from anelectronic device of the payer.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a system for facilitating amerchant transaction, comprising one or more computer processors and amemory location coupled to the one or more computer processors. Thememory location comprises code that, upon execution by the one or morecomputer processors, implements a method, the method comprising: (i)providing a list of one or more merchants that are in proximity to ageolocation of a payer; (ii) receiving a request from the payer toconduct a transaction with a merchant among the one or more merchants;and (iii) processing the transaction with the aid of a computerprocessor, wherein a tip selection is automatically applied to thetransaction without involvement from the payer during or upon thetermination of the transaction. In an embodiment, the system is adaptedto provide the list of (i) on a graphical user interface of anelectronic device of the payer. In another embodiment, the system isadapted to receive the request of (ii) from an electronic device of thepayer.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a system for facilitating atransaction between a merchant and a payer, comprising one or morecomputer processors and a memory location coupled to the one or morecomputer processors. The memory location comprises code that, uponexecution by the one or more computer processors, implements a method,the method comprising: (i) providing, in a merchant card displayed on agraphical user interface (GUI) of an electronic device of the payer,information of or related to the merchant with which the payer hasrequested to conduct a transaction, wherein the merchant card includesone or more input fields, each of which one or more input fields is forpermitting the payer to provide a tip selection to be applied to thetransaction; (ii) receiving, with the aid of the GUI, a tip selectionfrom the payer, wherein the tip selection is provided by the payer in agiven input field of the one or more input fields; and (iii) processing,with the aid of a computer processor, the transaction between the payerand the merchant, wherein the tip amount is applied to the transaction.

Additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will becomereadily apparent to those skilled in this art from the followingdetailed description, wherein only illustrative embodiments of thepresent disclosure are shown and described. As will be realized, thepresent disclosure is capable of other and different embodiments, andits several details are capable of modifications in various obviousrespects, all without departing from the disclosure. Accordingly, thedrawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature,and not as restrictive.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in thisspecification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent asif each individual publication, patent, or patent application wasspecifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The novel features of the claimed invention are set forth withparticularity in the appended claims. A better understanding of thefeatures and advantages of the present invention will be obtained byreference to the following detailed description that sets forthillustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the invention areutilized, and the accompanying drawings or figures (also “FIG.” or“FIGs.” herein) of which:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a merchant chard, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a system for facilitating methods ofthe disclosure, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a transaction workflow in which a payeris provided a selectable tipping option, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a transaction workflow in which a tipamount is automatically applied to a given transaction, in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a transaction workflow for tipping amerchant, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6A shows a screenshot of a tip settings graphical user interface(GUI); FIG. 6B shows a screenshot of another tip settings GUI;

FIG. 7 shows a screenshot of an example merchant card having variouspayer-selectable tipping options; and

FIG. 8 shows a screenshot of a GUI that enables a payer to supply a tipto a merchant.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While various embodiments of the invention have been shown and describedherein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that suchembodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations,changes, and substitutions may occur to those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the invention. It should be understood that variousalternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may beemployed.

The term “merchant,” as used herein, generally refers to an individual,business or other entity, the occupation of which is the sale of goodsfor profit, trade of an item of value for another item of value, and/orthe rendering of a service. In an example, a merchant is a retailbusiness or a shopkeeper. A merchant may be an online business or entityoffering a product or service for profit of trade. Examples of merchantsinclude, without limitation, food stores, grocery stores, electronicstores, department stores, bars, clubs, restaurants and book stores.

The term “user,” as used herein, generally refers to an individual orentity that uses systems and methods of the disclosure. A user can be anindividual or entity that wishes to purchase a product or service of amerchant. A user can be a “payer,” which generally refers to one or moreusers that are conducting, or have conducted, a transaction with amerchant.

The term “tip” (also “gratuity” herein), as used herein, generallyrefers to money or other consideration tendered to a merchant based on apayer's satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) with the merchant. A tip maybe a sum of money or other consideration that is provided on top of themoney or consideration requested by a merchant for a product or serviceprovided or to be provided by the merchant. In an example, a payerprovides a merchant a tip in the amount of $1 for a $3 cup of coffeeprovided by the merchant.

The term “geographic location” (also “geo-location” and “geolocation”herein), as used herein, generally refers to the geographic location ofan object, such as a user. A geolocation of a user can be determined orapproximated using a geolocation device or system associated with theuser, which may be an electronic device (e.g., mobile device) attachedto or in proximity to the user. Geolocation information can include thegeographic location of the object, such as coordinates of the objectand/or an algorithm or methodology to approximate or otherwise calculate(or measure) the location of the object, and, in some cases, informationas to other objects in proximity to the object. In some examples,geolocation information of a user includes the user's geographiclocation and/or the location of one or more merchants in proximity tothe user. Geolocation information can include the relative positioningbetween objects, such as between users, or a payer and a merchant. Insome cases, the geolocation of an object (e.g., user, electronic device)is not necessarily the location of the object, but rather the locationthat the object enters an area or structure, such as a building.

A geolocation device may be a portable electronic device (e.g., Apple®iPhone®, Android® enabled device). In some cases, the geolocation of anobject can be determined using the manner in which a mobile deviceassociated with the object communicates with a communication node, suchas a wireless node. In an example, the geolocation of an object can bedetermined using node triangulation, such as, e.g., wireless node, WiFinode, satellite triangulation, and/or cellular tower node triangulation.In another example, the geolocation of a user can be determined byassessing the proximity of the user to a WiFi hotspot or one or morewireless routers. In some cases, the geolocation of an object can bedetermined using a geolocation device that includes a global positioningsystem (“GPS”), such a GPS subsystem (or module) associated with amobile device (e.g., GPS capabilities of an Apple® iPhone® or Droid®based system).

In some situations, the geolocation of an object can be determined withthe aid of visual and/or audio information captured by an electronicdevice of a user, such as, for example, images and/or video captured bya camera of the electronic device, or a peripheral device (e.g., Google®Goggles) coupled to the electronic device.

Merchant Cards

An aspect of the invention provides a computer-implemented method forfacilitating a transaction between a merchant and a payer. The methodcomprises providing, in a merchant card displayed on a graphical userinterface (GUI) of an electronic device of the payer, information of orrelated to the merchant with which the payer has requested to conduct atransaction. The merchant card includes one or more input fields, eachof which can be for enabling the payer to provide a tip selection. Aninput field can include a selectable element, such as, for example, apredetermined tip amount. A tip selection can include a tip amount to beprovided to the merchant. Next, with the aid of the GUI, the tip amount(or gratuity) is received from the payer. The transaction between thepayer and the merchant is then processed with the aid of a computersystem having on or more processors programmed to facilitate thetransaction. During or upon the termination of the processing of thetransaction, the tip amount is applied to the transaction.

In some cases, the one or more input fields include various tip options,such as, for example, predetermined tip amounts. For example, the inputfields can include tip amounts that are selected based on merchant typeor set for specific merchants (e.g., Starbucks® has tip amounts that aredifferent from Philz Coffee™). As another example, the input fields caninclude tip amounts that are pre-selected by the payer (e.g., regardlessof who the merchant is, or can be preselected for certain merchant typesor specific merchants).

Tip amounts can be set by the computer system, the merchant or thepayer. For example, the payer can select an automatic tip amount or aselection of tip amounts for Starbucks® and a different automatic tipamount or selection of tip amounts for Philz Coffee™

The input fields can be graphical icons that correspond to a designatedtip amount. An input field can be a graphical element, such as an iconor button. In an example, an input field is a button or other graphicalelement having text with a predetermined (e.g., payer-selected,merchant-selected) tip amount. Alternatively, the input fields canenable the payer to input a tip amount.

A merchant card can be displayed on a user interface, such as agraphical user interface (GUI), of an electronic device of the payer. AGUI can include one or more graphical items that correspond to variousfeatures or functionalities. For example, a merchant card can include abutton or other graphical item that enables the payer to share amerchant card with another user (e.g., payer), such as, for example,through electronic mail (“email”), text messaging, or other electronicinterface. As another example, a merchant card can include a button orgraphical item to enable the payer to save or minimize the merchantcard.

A merchant card can be dedicated to a given merchant. In some examples,a merchant card includes one or more tip amounts that are specific tothe merchant. The computer system can provide the payer withmerchant-specific tip amounts during or upon the termination of theprocessing of the transaction between the payer and the merchant.

A merchant card can permit a payer to initiate and conduct an electronictransaction with a merchant associated with the merchant card. Theelectronic transaction can over a network, such as the Internet or anintranet. In some examples, a merchant card permits a payer to open atab with a merchant. The merchant card can permit a payer to initiate atransaction between the payer and the merchant.

A merchant card can be selected to provide additional details of a givenmerchant, such as the name of the merchant, the distance of the payerfrom merchant (e.g., 1 mile), product or service details, costsassociated with products and/or services of the merchant, the locationof the merchant, directions to the merchant, hours of operation of themerchant, and promotions offered by the merchant. The payer may selectto open a tab with the merchant to initiate a process to purchase aproduct or service from the merchant.

A merchant card can include one or more graphical items as tip optionsfor a payer. For example, a merchant card can include at least 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 30, 40, or 100 tip options. A tip option caninclude a currency or other consideration option (e.g., $1, $2, or $5,or 5%, 10%, 15% or 20%), the option to not provide a tip, or the optionto provide a tip at a later point in time. In an example, a merchantcard includes a plurality of icons (or buttons, or other graphicalitems), with each icon being associated with a given tip amount and/oran option to not provide a tip or provide a tip later (e.g., before orafter the tab is closed). The payer can elect an icon to apply to agiven transaction with the merchant.

In some examples, a tip button on a merchant card can be visuallydifferent than another tip button on the merchant card. For example, ifthe payer ordinarily selects a given tip amount for a given merchant,the system can register the given tip amount as a preferred tip amountfor that merchant and visually render the button (or icon) associatedwith the given tip amount to be visually different than the remainder ofthe buttons.

FIG. 1 shows a merchant card (“card”) 100, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. The card 100 can be provided on a GUI of anelectronic device of a payer (e.g., Apple® iPhone, Apple® iPad, Android®enabled device, Blackberry® phone). The device may be coupled to asystem having a processor that is configured to executemachine-executable code to facilitate a transaction between the payerand a merchant.

With continued reference to FIG. 1 , the card 100 includes a graphicalfield 101 for displaying a logo or other information that can bespecific to the merchant. The card 100 further includes tip (orgratuity) fields 102, 103 and 104 (also “tipping options” herein), whichcan include a select tip amount (e.g., “$1”) or percentage of atransaction (e.g., “15%”), the option to not tip the merchant (e.g., “Notip”), or the option to tip later (e.g., “Tip later”). The tip fields(i.e., the number of tip fields and the tip options for a given tipfield) can be merchant specific. For example, a first merchant can havea different number of tip fields than a second merchant. As anotherexample, the first merchant can have different tip options than thesecond merchant.

The gratuity fields can be provided in a row, column, array, grid, orany other manner. The gratuity fields can be adjacent to one another.Amounts and/or percentages associated with the gratuity fields can beprovided in increasing or decreasing order. In some cases, a givengratuity field can look visually different than one or more othergratuity fields— e.g., based on what the system deems is the most likelygratuity the payer would select, as can be determined from historicaltipping data with the merchant. In some examples, the system can makethe given gratuity field more or less visually appealing to the payer.

The card 100 includes a button 105 for enabling the payer to save,minimize or close the card 100. In some examples, the button 105 enablesthe payer to close the card 100 and reveal other another card with otherinformation on the merchant associated with the card 100, or,alternatively, reveal a list of merchants or one or more cardsassociated with merchants.

The card 100 includes a button 106 that enables the payer to share thecard 100 with another user, such as, for example, another payer. In anexample, the button 106 can be configured to enable the payer to sharethe card with another user through email, text or other electronicinterface.

The look and feel of a merchant card can be tailored based onuser-specific merchant criteria. In some cases, the shape or color of abutton or input field on a card can be selected to make it more or lessappealing to a user than another button or input field. Suchmodification may be made to increase the likelihood of the userselecting one field over another field. In some examples, a first tipamount can be selected to be more appealing than another tip amount. Forexample, a tip amount that the computer system determines is most likelyto be selected by the payer can be made to be more appealing to thepayer than another tip amount that the computer system determines isless likely to be selected by the payer.

In some examples, the payer can change the look of the merchant card,such as, for example, by changing the orientation of the tipping options(e.g., rows, columns, grid) and the manner in which tipping options areprovided to the payer or a tipping selection is retrieved from thepayer. For example, the payer may wish that the system provide the payertipping options. Alternatively, the payer may wish to input a tippingselection, such as inputting a tipping amount. The payer can select atipping option or provide a tipping selection with the aid of a pointingdevice (e.g., computer mouse), the payer's finger (e.g., in cases inwhich the payer is using a resistive or capacitive touch screen), voicecommands, gestures (e.g., with the aid of a motion sensing input device,such as Kinect®), or combinations thereof.

Systems for Facilitating Transactions

Another aspect of the invention provides a system that is configured (orprogrammed) implement the methods of the disclosure. The system caninclude a computer server (“server”) that is operatively coupled to anelectronic device of a user (e.g., payer) and an electronic device of amerchant.

FIG. 2 shows a system 200 adapted to enable a payer to search formerchants, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The system200 includes a central computer system or server (“server”) 201 that isprogrammed to implement example methods described herein. The server 201includes a central processing unit (CPU, also “processor” and “computerprocessor” herein) 205, which can be a single core or multi coreprocessor, or a plurality of processors for parallel processing. Theserver 201 also includes memory 210 (e.g., random-access memory,read-only memory, flash memory), electronic storage unit 215 (e.g., harddisk), communications interface 220 (e.g., network adapter) forcommunicating with one or more other systems, and peripheral devices225, such as cache, other memory, data storage and/or electronic displayadapters. The memory 210, storage unit 215, interface 220 and peripheraldevices 225 are in communication with the CPU 205 through acommunications bus (solid lines), such as a motherboard. The storageunit 215 can be a data storage unit (or data repository) for storingdata. The server 201 is operatively coupled to a computer network(“network”) 230 with the aid of the communications interface 220. Thenetwork 230 can be the Internet, an internet and/or extranet, or anintranet and/or extranet that is in communication with the Internet. Thenetwork 230 in some cases is a telecommunication and/or data network.The network 230 can include one or more computer servers, which canenable distributed computing, such as cloud computing. The network 230in some cases, with the aid of the server 201, can implement apeer-to-peer network, which may enable devices coupled to the server 201to behave as a client or a server.

The storage unit 215 can store files, such as filed related to merchantprofiles and/or accounts, and payer profiles. The server 201 in somecases can include one or more additional data storage units that areexternal to the server 201, such as located on a remote server that isin communication with the server 201 through an intranet or theInternet.

The storage unit 215 can store payer and merchant transactionalinformation. The storage unit 215 can store payer transactionalinformation, which can include, without limitation, merchants from whichthe payer has purchased products and/or services, the number of timesthe payer has used a merchant, the frequency with which the payerpurchases products and/or services from a merchant, the types ofmerchants from which the payer purchases products and/or services. Thedata storage unit 215 can include payer tip information, such as tipsettings and preferences, and a history of previous transactions withtip amounts.

The server 201 can be programmed to enable a user (e.g., payer) to electvarious tipping settings. For example, a payer may wish that a tip beautomatically applied to a given transaction (“automatic tipping”), andthe server 201 can provide the payer the option to elect automatictipping. As an alternative, a payer may wish to be asked to provide amerchant a tip in a transaction (“selectable tipping”), and the server201 can provide the payer the option to request selectable tipping, inwhich case the server 201 can provide the payer various tipping optionsduring a transaction.

The server 201 can communicate with one or more remote computer systemsthrough the network 230. In the illustrated example, the server 201 isin communication with a first computer system 235 and a second computersystem 240 that are located remotely with respect to the server 201. Inthe illustrated example, the first computer system 235 is a merchantcomputer system that may have a database for recording transaction data,and the second computer system 240 is a user computer system, such as acomputer system of a potential purchaser (e.g., payer) of a service orproduct of the merchant. The first computer system 235 and secondcomputer system 240 can be, for example, personal computers (e.g.,portable PC), slate or tablet PC's (e.g., Apple® iPad, Samsung® GalaxyTab), telephones, Smart phones (e.g., Apple® iPhone, Android-enableddevice, Blackberry®), or personal digital assistants.

In some examples, the second computer system 240 includes a passivescreen, a capacitive touch screen, or a resistive touch screen. Thecomputer system 240 can include a network interface and a browser thatenables a payer to access various sites or locations on an intranet orthe Internet. The computer system 240 can include an application (“app”)that enables the computer system 240 to interact with the server 201.The app can be implemented with the aid of machine executable code, orsoftware. The app can be configured to enable the computer system tocommunicate with a server, such as the server 201, which facilitates atransaction between the payer and a merchant.

In an example, the second computer system 240 is a portable electronicdevice of a payer that desires to search for and find merchants at or inproximity to a geolocation of the payer. The payer can access the server201 via the network 230 to request the search. The server 201 canconduct the search and transmit search results to the second computersystem 240 of the payer. The search results can be displayed on agraphical user interface of the second computer system 240. In somecases, both the first computer system 235 and the second computer system240 have a geolocation.

In some situations the system 200 includes a single server 201. In othersituations, the system 200 includes multiple servers in communicationwith one another through an intranet and/or the Internet.

The server 201 can be adapted to store user (e.g., payer, merchant)profile information, such as, for example, a name, physical address,email address, telephone number, instant messaging (IM) handle,educational information, work information, social likes and/or dislikes,products likes and/or dislikes, merchant preferences, favorites types ofmerchants (e.g., restaurants preferred over bars) and historicalinformation of past transactions of the user (which may be transactionsmade using the system 200), and other information of potential relevanceto the user or other users. Such profile information can be stored onthe storage unit 215 of the server 201.

Methods as described herein can be implemented by way of machine (orcomputer processor) executable code (or software) stored on anelectronic storage location of the server 201, such as, for example, onthe memory 210 or electronic storage unit 215. During use, the code canbe executed by the processor 205. In some cases, the code can beretrieved from the storage unit 215 and stored on the memory 210 forready access by the processor 205. In some situations, the electronicstorage unit 215 can be precluded, and machine-executable instructionsare stored on memory 210. Alternatively, the code can be executed on thesecond computer system 240 of the user.

The code can be pre-compiled and configured for use with a machine havea processor adapted to execute the code, or can be compiled duringruntime. The code can be supplied in a programming language that can beselected to enable the code to execute in a pre-compiled or as-compiledfashion.

Aspects of the systems and methods provided herein, such as the server201, can be embodied in programming. Various aspects of the technologymay be thought of as “products” or “articles of manufacture” typicallyin the form of machine (or processor) executable code and/or associateddata that is carried on or embodied in a type of machine readablemedium. Machine-executable code can be stored on an electronic storageunit, such memory (e.g., read-only memory, random-access memory, flashmemory) or a hard disk. “Storage” type media can include any or all ofthe tangible memory of the computers, processors or the like, orassociated modules thereof, such as various semiconductor memories, tapedrives, disk drives and the like, which may provide non-transitorystorage at any time for the software programming. All or portions of thesoftware may at times be communicated through the Internet or variousother telecommunication networks. Such communications, for example, mayenable loading of the software from one computer or processor intoanother, for example, from a management server or host computer into thecomputer platform of an application server. Thus, another type of mediathat may bear the software elements includes optical, electrical andelectromagnetic waves, such as used across physical interfaces betweenlocal devices, through wired and optical landline networks and overvarious air-links. The physical elements that carry such waves, such aswired or wireless links, optical links or the like, also may beconsidered as media bearing the software. As used herein, unlessrestricted to non-transitory, tangible “storage” media, terms such ascomputer or machine “readable medium” refer to any medium thatparticipates in providing instructions to a processor for execution.

Hence, a machine readable medium, such as computer-executable code, maytake many forms, including but not limited to, a tangible storagemedium, a carrier wave medium or physical transmission medium.Non-volatile storage media include, for example, optical or magneticdisks, such as any of the storage devices in any computer(s) or thelike, such as may be used to implement the databases, etc. shown in thedrawings. Volatile storage media include dynamic memory, such as mainmemory of such a computer platform. Tangible transmission media includecoaxial cables; copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires thatcomprise a bus within a computer system. Carrier-wave transmission mediamay take the form of electric or electromagnetic signals, or acoustic orlight waves such as those generated during radio frequency (RF) andinfrared (IR) data communications. Common forms of computer-readablemedia therefore include for example: a floppy disk, a flexible disk,hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD orDVD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards paper tape, any otherphysical storage medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a ROM, a PROM andEPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wavetransporting data or instructions, cables or links transporting such acarrier wave, or any other medium from which a computer may readprogramming code and/or data. Many of these forms of computer readablemedia may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or moreinstructions to a processor for execution.

In some cases, the server 201 can be configured for data mining,extract, transform and load (ETL), or spidering (including Web Spideringwhere the system retrieves data from remote systems over a network andaccess an Application Programmer Interface or parses the resultingmarkup) operations, which may permit the system to load information froma raw data source (or mined data) into a data warehouse. The datawarehouse may be configured for use with a business intelligence system(e.g., Microstrategy®, Business Objects®). The media file managementsystem can include a data mining module adapted to search for mediacontent in various source locations, such as email accounts and variousnetwork sources, such as social networking accounts (e.g., Facebook®,Foursquare®, Google+®, Linkedin®) or on publisher sites, such as, forexample, weblogs.

The results of a user-initiated search for merchants can be presented toa user with the aid of a user interface (UI), such as a graphical userinterface (GUI), on an electronic device of the user. In somesituations, a GUI can enable a user to access the results of a searchfor entertainment events at a designated geographic.

The UI, such as GUI, can be provided on a display of an electronicdevice of the user that is adapted to provide geolocation information ofthe user, such as, for example, measure (or calculate) the geolocationof the user. The display can be a capacitive or resistive touch display,or a head-mountable display (e.g., Google® Goggles). Such displays canbe used with other systems and methods of the disclosure.

Methods of the disclosure may be facilitated with the aid of anapplication (“app”) that can be installed on electronic devices of auser. An app can include a GUI on a display of the electronic device ofthe user. The app can be configured to perform certain functions of thesystem, such as, for example, permitting a user to initiate atransaction with a merchant if the user is within a given distance fromthe merchant. In an example, if the user is within a given distance fromthe merchant, the app can permit the user to request to initiate atransaction with the merchant, which request is directed to the system.The system can then inform the merchant that the user desires toinitiate a transaction with the merchant, and the transaction can besubsequently processed with the aid of the system, as describedelsewhere herein.

Systems of the disclosure may include both payer and merchant data. Thisadvantageously permits a system to determine relevance ranking that maybe user specific and directed at select one or more merchants or typesof merchants. The system may be owned and/or operated by a singleentity.

In some cases, the merchant and/or payer information may be stored in amemory location of the system. Accordingly, relevance ranking may be afunction of both payer and merchant information. For instance, amerchant may intent to target payers of a given age group. In somecases, a search for merchants by a payer may provide merchants thatconsider the payer to be relevant to the merchants.

The computer system 201 can be programmed to implement various methodsdisclosed herein. In some embodiments, the computer system 201 canfacilitate payment from the user to the merchant. In an example, thesystem transfers funds to the merchant and receives funds from the user.The funds received from the user may be greater than or equal to thefunds transferred to the merchant. In another example, the systemtransfers funds directly from the user to the merchant.

In some embodiments, the computer system 201 is configured to initiateand facilitate a transaction between a payer and a merchant. In anexample, the computer system 201 initiates and facilitates thetransaction between the user and the merchant if the user is within agiven distance from the merchant. The distance can be based upon adetermination of the geolocation of the user. For instance, ageolocation device of the user can determine the geographic informationof the user, and direct the geographic information to the system. If theuser is within a given (e.g., predetermined) distance from the merchant,the system can permit the user to initiate a transaction with themerchant (e.g., open a tab). In some situations, the user's geolocationdevice, upon determining that the user is within a given distance fromthe merchant, permits the user to initiate a transaction with themerchant with the aid of the system.

Methods for Providing Gratuities

Another aspect of the invention provides computer-implemented methodsfor facilitating a merchant transaction. In some embodiments, a methodfor facilitating a merchant transaction comprises providing a list ofone or more merchants that are in geographic proximity to a geolocationof a payer. The one or more merchants can be within a given distancefrom the geolocation of the payer. The list can be provided by a centralcomputer system (or server) that is coupled to an electronic device ofthe payer.

In some examples, the list is populated by merchants that are within 0.1miles, 0.2 miles, 0.3 miles, 0.4 miles, 0.5 miles, 1 mile, 1.5 miles, 2miles, 2.5 miles, 3 miles, 3.5 miles, 4 miles, 4.5 miles, 5 miles, 6miles, 7 miles, 8 miles, 9 miles, 10 miles, 20 miles, 30 miles, 40miles, 50 miles, 100 miles, or 500 miles with respect to the geolocationof the payer. The list can be provided to the payer upon asearch—within, for example, a search radius, which may be selected bythe payer—by the payer for one or more merchants that are a givendistance from a geolocation of the payer. The list can be provided on auser interface, such as graphical user interface (GUI), of an electronicdevice of the payer. The one or more merchants can be provided on theGUI based on (i) the proximity of the payer to each of the one or moremerchants and (ii) the relevance of each of the one or more merchants tothe user as determined from one or more relevance criteria.

The geolocation of the payer can be determined with the aid of ageolocation device of the payer. The payer can then request to conduct atransaction with a merchant among the one or more merchants. The requestcan be directed from an electronic device of the payer to the server(e.g., computer system 201 of FIG. 2 ), which can be programmed tofacilitate the transaction. In some examples, the payer can select toopen a tab with a merchant, which can enable the payer to select aproduct or service from the merchant to purchase.

Upon receiving the request, the server can inform the merchant that thepayer has requested to conduct a transaction with the merchant. Theserver, in some examples, can notify the merchant by directing anelectronic communication or other notification to a computer system ofthe merchant, which computer system can include an app that enables themerchant to interact with the server.

In some cases, the request can be received from an electronic device ofthe payer, such as a portable electronic device. The portable electronicdevice can include a user interface (UI), such as a graphical userinterface (GUI), which can enable the user to initiate the transactionbetween the user and the merchant and to view the status of any rewardsthe user has with the merchant, as well as any promotions offered by themerchant to the user. In some examples, the server permits the payer torequest to conduct the transaction if the payer is at or in proximity tothe merchant. For instance, the server will permit the payer to requestto conduct a transaction with a merchant that is within about 0.1 miles,0.2 miles, 0.3 miles, 0.4 miles, 0.5 miles, 1 mile, 1.5 miles, 2 miles,2.5 miles, 3 miles, 3.5 miles, 4 miles, 4.5 miles, 5 miles, 6 miles, 7miles, 8 miles, 9 miles, 10 miles, 20 miles, 30 miles, 40 miles, 50miles, 100 miles, or 500 miles with respect to the geolocation of thepayer. In some examples, the server will initiate the transaction if thepayer is at or in proximity to the merchant.

The merchant can be at or in proximity to a geolocation of the user. Thegeolocation can be determined with the aid of a geolocation device ofthe user. In some examples, the request is received by the server fromthe geolocation device of the payer. The geolocation of the payer can bedetermined prior to the computer system providing the payer a list ofone or more merchants.

During or upon the processing of the transactions, the payer can beprovided with the option to provide the merchant a gratuity (or tip).The server in such a case can provide the payer one or more tip options(e.g., tip amounts), and from the one or more tip (also “tipping”herein) options the payer may make a tip selection. The payer can selecta tip option to provide to the merchant. The one or more tipping optionscan include one or more tipping amounts, a tipping field in which thepayer may enter a tip amount, the option to tip at a later point intime, and/or the option to not provide the merchant a tip.

Next, the server processes the transaction with the aid of a processor(or a plurality of processors) of the server. The processing can involvethe server receiving a product or service request from the payer, andrelaying the product or service request to the merchant. Each product orservice request can include a request for one or more products and/orservices of the merchant. The processing can include the serversupplying the merchant consideration from (or on behalf of) the payerfor the product or service requested by the payer. Any tip amountselected by the payer can be applied to the transaction during or uponthe termination of the processing of the transaction.

Alternatively, the server does not provide the payer the option toprovide the merchant a tip. Rather, the server automatically applies atip selection to the transaction without any involvement from the payerduring or upon the termination of the processing of the transaction. Insuch a case, automatic tipping can be applied if the server receivesfrom the payer (or an electronic device of the payer) an indication thatthe tip selection is to be automatically applied to the transaction. Forinstance, the payer can elect automatic tipping from a tip settings GUI(see below). The tip selection can include a tip amount (e.g., $1, $5),a percentage of the transaction cost with the merchant (e.g., 5%, 10%,20%), the election to tip at a later point in time, or the election tonot tip the merchant. The tip selection can be merchant specific. Forexample, the payer may wish to provide a given merchant or a merchant ofa given type (e.g., coffee shop) a given tip amount. As another example,the payer may wish to supply a merchant a tip amount that is a givenpercentage of the transaction cost. As another example, the payer maywish to automatically provide a merchant a 15% or 20% gratuity with eachtransaction. In such cases, the server automatically calculates andapplies a gratuity without any involvement from the payer during or uponthe termination of the processing of the transaction.

In some examples, once the transaction has been processed, the serverprovides the payer a receipt of the transaction. The receipt can includeinformation as to one or more products and/or services obtained by thepayer from the merchant, including any tip applied to the transaction.

Systems of the disclosure can be programmed to maintain a record of user(e.g., payer) transactions with a given merchant, including gratuitiessupplied in transactions with merchants. Additionally, systems of thedisclosure can be programmed to provide a payer tipping settings, whichcan enable the payer to select tipping options. For example, tippingsettings can provide a payer the option to automatically tip a givenmerchant (e.g., the payer can select a merchant from a list of merchantsto tip automatically), all merchants, all merchants of a given type, allmerchants meeting certain conditions (e.g., location of merchant,proximity of a merchant to another merchant) that can be supplied by thepayer, or other rules or conditions that can be supplied by the payer.

Alternatively, the payer can elect various settings, which can enablethe server to provide the payer the option to tip a merchant prior to,during or upon the completion of the processing of a transaction betweenthe payer and the merchant. In some cases, tipping is not manual and thepayer is given the option to provide the merchant a tip. The payer canprovide the merchant a tip amount from tipping options selected by theserver, the merchant, or inputted by the payer.

In some cases, a system programmed to facilitate payer-merchanttransactions (e.g., the computer system 201 of FIG. 2 ) maintains arecord of user transactions with a given merchant. The record caninclude produces and/or services purchased from merchants and tipsprovided to the merchants in return for the products and/or services.

In some embodiments, a payer requests to initiate a transaction with amerchant by opening a tab with the merchant. Upon the completion of thetransaction with the merchant, the tab is closed. In some cases, closingthe tab marks the termination of processing with the merchant, though inother cases further processing (e.g., transfer of funds by the system,alternation of a previously selected tip amount by the payer) maycontinue after the tab is closed. After the tab is closed, the payer canopen a new tab with the merchant, or open a new tab with anothermerchant.

In some embodiments, a payer can provide a tip before the payer knowsthe total transaction amount. Alternatively, the payer can provide thetip after knowing the transaction amount but before closing the tab withthe merchant. In some situations, the payer can provide the tip afterknowing the transaction amount and closing the tab with the merchant.

Systems of the disclosure can provide payers tipping options, includingtipping amounts, tipping frequencies (e.g., provide a tip with eachtransaction or every other transaction), and whether to tip or not tip amerchant. In some examples, a system programmed to facilitate atransaction with a merchant (e.g., the computer system 201 of FIG. 2 )can suggest a tip amount to a payer that is tailored to a merchant(i.e., merchant-specific). For example, the system can suggest that thepayer provide a first merchant of a given type (e.g., coffee store) atip amount that is different than a second merchant of the given type.

FIG. 3 shows a transaction method (or work-flow) in which a payer isprovided a selectable tipping option, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention. The method is implemented upon the communicationbetween the payer's electronic device, a computer system or server(“Server”), and a merchant's electronic device. The Server can be thecomputer system 201 of FIG. 2 . The payer in such a case wishes toconduct a transaction with the merchant. The payer's client (“PayerClient”) can be an electronic device, such as a portable electronicdevice, that is configured to communicate with the Server. Themerchant's client (“Merchant Client”) can be a computer system that isconfigured to communicate with the Server. The computer system caninclude one or more computers, each of which can include one or moreprocessors for executing machine-readable code to implement atransaction.

Initially, the geolocation of the Payer Client is determined, which maybe the geolocation of the payer, and directs geolocation information tothe Server. Next, the Server provides the Payer Client a list ofmerchants based on one or more geolocation criteria of the payer, Serverand/or the merchant. The one or more geolocation criteria of the payercan include distance of the payer from a given merchant. The Server canprovide the Payer Client a list of merchants that are at or in proximityto the payer's geolocation. In some examples, the Server provides thePayer Client a list of merchants that are within 0.1 miles, 0.2 miles,0.3 miles, 0.4 miles, 0.5 miles, 1 mile, 1.5 miles, 2 miles, 2.5 miles,3 miles, 3.5 miles, 4 miles, 4.5 miles, 5 miles, 6 miles, 7 miles, 8miles, 9 miles, 10 miles, 20 miles, 30 miles, 40 miles, 50 miles, 100miles, or 500 miles with respect to the geolocation of the payer.

Next, the payer elects to initiate a transaction with a given merchantfrom the list of merchants. In some cases, the payer may wish to open atab for the payer with the merchant. Upon the payer indicating in thePayer Client that the payer wishes to open a tab with the merchant, thePayer Client directs the request to open the tab to the Server. ThePayer Client can transmit to the Server an indication to open a tabassociated with an account of the payer, which can reflect an indicationof the payer's consent to perform a transaction with the merchant. Thetransaction can be a cardless transaction in which a credit card is notused.

Next, the Merchant Client can send a request to the Server for a list ofopen tabs (e.g., a list of payer user accounts from which the Server hasreceived indication of consent to enter into a cardless paymenttransaction). The Merchant Client can request the Server to provide alist of open tabs on a manual basis (e.g., upon merchant request), or ata given frequency, such as at least every 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 second,4 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes, or 1 hour.

Next, the Server can provide the payer selectable tipping options. Theselectable tipping options can include the option to not tip themerchant, tip the merchant at a later point in time, or both. In someexamples, the selectable tipping options can include one or more tipamounts that are selected by the Server. For instance, the Server canprovide the payer $1, $5 and $10 tipping options, or tipping optionsthat are a fraction or percentage of the cost of the product(s) orservice(s) offered by the merchant to the payer. As another example, theServer can enable the payer to input a tip amount, such as, for example,with the aid of a text input field, a drop-down menu with tippingamounts.

Next, the payer makes a tip selection and the Payer Client directs thetip selection to the Server. The Merchant Client then processes thetransaction and provides transaction information to the Server. Thetransaction is processed with a tip amount, if any, applied to thetransactions. For example, if the merchant has requested $5 for aproduct offered by the merchant to the payer and the payer wishes (andhas elected) to tip the merchant $1 for the product, the transaction canbe processed by providing the merchant $1+$5=$6. As another example, thepayer has elected to provide the merchant a tip amount that is 20% ofthe $5 cost of the transaction between the payer and merchant, and theServer processes the transaction and provides the merchant$5+(0.2×$5)=$6.

The transaction between the payer and the merchant can be processed by,or with the aid of, the Server. For example, the Merchant Client canrequest a given consideration (e.g., funds) from the Server, and theServer can direct the consideration to the Merchant Client or a locationdesignated by the merchant, such as a financial account or fundsrepository (e.g., bank account) of the merchant. The Server can alsoretrieve funds from the payer, such as retrieving funds from a financialaccount or funds repository (e.g., bank account, credit card) of thepayer.

The merchant can request that the Server process the transaction withthe payer, and the Merchant Client can request that the Server close thetab associated with the transaction with the payer. The Server can thenprocess the transaction with the payer (by way of the Payer Client) andsubsequently transmit an electronic receipt to the payer. Closing thetab can mark the termination of the processing of the transactionbetween the Merchant Client and the Server, but further processingbetween the Server and the Payer Client may be required. In someexamples, after the Merchant Client requests to close the tab, theServer processes the transaction (e.g., directs funds to and/or fromfinancial accounts, applies a tip). The electronic receipt can bedirected to the Payer Client or other location designated by the payer,such as, for example, an email account or other electronic repository ofthe payer. The workflow of FIG. 3 can be suited for cardless paymenttransactions.

In some cases, a merchant can be tipped automatically without any payerinvolvement during processing of a transaction between the payer and themerchant. FIG. 4 shows a workflow in which the Server automaticallyapplies a tip to the transaction between the payer and the merchant.Upon processing the transaction between the payer and the merchant, theServer determines that the payer has elected to automatically tip themerchant, and the Server applies a given tip amount to the transaction.The tip amount can be selected by the payer prior to initiating thetransaction with the merchant. The tip amount can be a fixed amount(e.g., $1), or a fixed percentage of the transaction cost (e.g., 20%).In some examples, under automatic tipping the tip amount can be a fixedamount or percentage for a given merchant or a given type of merchant.The tip amount can be automatically applied to the transaction duringprocessing of the transaction (e.g., before closing the tab), upon thetermination of processing of the transaction (e.g., upon closing thetab), or after a transaction has been processed (e.g., after closing thetab).

With reference to FIG. 4 , the Payer Client initially instructs theServer that the payer has elected automatic tipping. The Payer Clientthen provides the server with geolocation information of the PayerClient, which can include the geolocation of the Payer Client. TheServer then provides the Payer Client a merchant list. The Payer Clientthen requests to open a tab with a merchant selected from the merchantlist. The Merchant Client queries the Server for any open tabs and theServer provides the Merchant Client a list of open tabs. The MerchantClient then requests that the Server process the transaction with themerchant (with the aid of the Payer Client), which includes retrieving aconsideration for the transaction between the payer and the merchant.The Merchant Client then requests to close the tab with the MerchantClient. The Server then processes the transaction with the payer, whichincludes retrieving the consideration for the transaction in addition toany tip amount that is automatically applied to the transaction. TheServer then provides the payer a receipt as described elsewhere herein.

The workflows of FIGS. 3 and 4 may be implemented in cash or cardtransactions, or cardless transactions. Cardless transactions caninclude transactions facilitated with the aid of systems providedherein, such as the computer system 201 of FIG. 2 . In an example, in acardless scenario a server facilitating a transaction between a payerand merchant, such as the computer system 201 of FIG. 2 , provides fundsto the merchant and receive funds from the payer.

In some embodiments, the payer and merchant can maintain a record oftransactions. The record can be used to determine whether a gratuity (ortip) was applied at a given transaction. In some situations, under aselectable tipping option (see, e.g., FIG. 3 ), the Server can suggest atip amount based on the payer's prior transaction history (includingtipping history) with the merchant. For instance, if the payer hasconsistently tipped the merchant a given tip amount of percentage, thenthe Server can suggest that the payer tip the merchant the given tipamount. The record can be continuously or periodically updated toreflect various transactions.

In some examples, upon the Server processing a transaction between amerchant and a payer, the Server provides the Payer Client an electronicreceipt of the transaction and an update on any rewards the payer mayhave with the merchant. With reference to FIG. 3 , the Merchant Clientinstructs the Server to process payment associated with a giventransaction with the payer. The Server processes payment, applies a tip,if any, and provides the payer an electronic receipt of the transaction.The electronic receipt can be provided to the payer via an electronicmessage, such as instant message, short-message service (SMS) textmessage, multimedia message service (MMS) text message, or electronicmail (“email”), or a message or other notification that is specific tothe application implementing the transaction on the Payer Client (e.g.,a device application, or “app”). In some cases, a GUI of an electronicdevice of the payer can be updated with information to reflect thetransaction. In some situations, a merchant card on a GUI of the payer(or user) is updated to reflect the transaction.

In some embodiments, the Merchant Client is configured to search foropen tabs and select payers to engage in transactions or declineinvitations to engage in transactions with some payers.

Computer systems of the disclosure may be programmed to provide varioustipping functionalities. A computer system can be configured to apply atip to a given transaction either automatically (i.e., without payerinvolvement during processing) or by providing the payer a tippingoption (i.e., selectable tipping). Under selectable tipping, the payercan elect from various tipping options, such as, for example, electingto not tip the merchant, tip the merchant at a later point in time, orprovide the merchant a tip amount suggested by the system or provided bythe payer. In some cases, if the payer elects to tip the merchant at alater point in time, the system can process the transaction and providethe payer the option to tip at a later point in time, which point intime may be selected by the payer (e.g., 5 minutes after the transactionis completed).

In some cases, the a payer can change a selected tipping option within apredetermined time frame, such as within at least 1 second, 2 seconds, 3second, 4 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 10minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours, 6 hours, 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, 4 daysupon the termination of a transaction. In an example, the payer electsto tip a merchant $1 during processing of the transaction, and within 1hour following termination of the transaction, changes the tip amount to$2. In another example, before the payer closes the tab the payer electsto tip the merchant $1 or a $1 is automatically applied to thetransaction, and after the tab is closed the payer changes the tipamount to $2. In some cases, the system will permit the payer to changea tip amount within a given timeframe, such as, for example, within 1second, 2 seconds, 3 second, 4 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, 30minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours, 6 hours, 1 day, 2days, 3 days, 4 days of closing the tab.

FIG. 5 shows a method for merchant tipping, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. The method can be implemented with the aidof a computer system (or server), such as the computer system 201 ofFIG. 2 . In a first operation 501, a payer opens a tab with a merchant.Next, in a second operation 502, the server determines whether the payerhas enabled automatic tipping. If automatic tipping has been enabled bythe payer (“Yes”), then in a third operation 503 the server processesthe transaction and the tip is automatically applied to the transaction.Next, in a fourth operation 504, the server provides the payer areceipt. Alternatively, if in the second operation 502 the serverdetermines that automatic tipping has not been enabled by the payer(“No”), then in a fifth operation 505 the server provides the payer withselectable tipping options. In a sixth operation 506 the server receivesa tip selection from the payer, which is then applied to the transactionupon processing in the third operation 503.

EXAMPLES

FIGS. 6-8 show example screenshots of graphical user interfaces (GUI's)on a display of an electronic device (e.g., mobile device) of a payer.The GUI can be implemented with the aid of an app on the electronicdevice. The app is configured to enable the mobile device to communicatewith a server, such as the server 201 of FIG. 2 , which can facilitate atransaction between the payer and a merchant.

FIG. 6A shows a screenshot of a tip settings menu on a graphical userinterface (GUI) of an electronic device of a payer. The tip settings canbe global tip settings, which can apply to all merchants or a group ofmerchants, or can be merchant specific. The payer can access the tipsettings menu from a home screen of an app implementing the tipsettings, or from a merchant card. In some examples, the payer canselect tipping settings that are specific to a merchant.

The tip settings can provide the payer the option to select varioustipping functionalities. The payer can elect that the server always askthe payer whether the payer wishes to provide a tip (“Always Ask”). Insuch a case, the server can provide the payer one or more tippingoptions during the processing of a transaction with a merchant, or, asan alternative, the payer can input a tip selection. As an example, theserver can provide the merchant $1, $5 and $10 tipping options, or 5%,10%, 15% and 20% tipping options. Alternatively, the payer can elect tohave the server automatically provide a tip of a given amount orpercentage (“Tip $1”, “Tip $2”, “Tip $3”) to the merchant, or to not tip(“Don't Tip”) the merchant. FIG. 6B shows a screenshot of an alternativetip settings menu on a GUI of an electronic device of the payer, inwhich “Don't Tip” is not included as a tipping option for automatictipping.

The payer can change a tip amount within a given time frame, in somecases even if automatic tipping is enabled. In the illustrated examplesof FIGS. 6A and 6B, the payer can select a different tip option (e.g.,different tip amount, elect to not tip a merchant) within one hour afterthe payer's purchase of a product or service from the merchant iscomplete by viewing the payer's tab with the merchant.

In some cases, the tip settings can enable the payer to select thenumber (e.g., 1 option, 2 options, 3 options, 4 options, 5 options)and/or type (e.g., currency, percentage of transaction) of tip optionsfrom which the payer can make a tip selection with a given merchant,type of merchant (e.g., coffee shop), group of merchants (e.g., allcoffee shops in Palo Alto), or all merchants (i.e., global settings).Alternatively, the number and/or type of tip options are fixed by themerchant or by the system, such as, for example, fixed by the system fora type of merchant, group of merchants, or all merchants.

FIG. 7 shows a screenshot of an example merchant card 700 with variousselectable tipping options. In the illustrated example, the payer isconducting a transaction with Coffee Spot, a merchant. During processingof the transaction, the server provides the payer the ability to electvarious tipping options 701 (“Later,” “$1”, “$2”, “$3”). The payer canthen make a tipping selection by electing any one of the four tippingoptions 701. The server can provide the payer the option to change atipping option selected by the payer. In some cases, the server providesthe payer the opportunity to change a selected tipping option within apredetermined time frame, such as within a one hour upon the terminationof processing of a transaction with the merchant.

For example, from the GUI of FIG. 7 the payer can select $1 as thetipping option. The server can then process the transaction with CoffeeSpot and apply the $1 tip selection to the transaction. If the payer haspurchased a $4 cup of coffee from Coffee Spot, the server can provideCoffee Spot $4 (cup of coffee)+$1 (tip)=$5 (total).

The merchant card 700 also includes a first graphical button 702 thatenables the payer to close or minimize the merchant card 700, and asecond graphical button 703 that enables the payer to share the merchantcard 700 with another individual or entity, such as another user (e.g.,payer).

In some examples, the payer can change the look of the merchant card700, such as, for example, by changing the orientation of the tippingoptions (e.g., rows, columns) and the manner in which tipping optionsare provided to the payer or a tipping selection is retrieved from thepayer. The payer can select a tipping option with the aid of a pointingdevice, the payer's finger, voice commands, and/or gestures.

FIG. 8 shows a screenshot of a graphical user interface (GUI) 800 thatenables a payer to supply a tip to a merchant. The GUI 800 can bepresented to the payer during or upon the termination of processing of atransaction with a merchant. The GUI 800 includes a back button 801 thatenables the payer to navigate to a previous screen of the GUI 800, suchas, for example, to a screen showing a menu of the merchant. The GUI 800can include a first graphical field 802 with a picture, avatar or otherindentifying information of the payer, and a second graphical field 803with a picture, avatar of other identifying information of the merchant.The GUI 800 includes various tipping options 804 (“No tip,” “$1”, “$2”,“$3”). The GUI 800 indicates in a text field 805 that a tab with themerchant has been opened (“OPENED”). A timestamp 806 shows the time(“10:03 AM”) that the tab was opened.

The GUI 800 can include a history field 807 that shows the payer's priortipping history with the merchant. The tipping history can include thetimestamp (e.g., date and time) associated with a given transaction withthe payer and the tip selection made during the transaction. In theillustrated example, the history field is unpopulated.

It should be understood from the foregoing that, while particularimplementations have been illustrated and described, variousmodifications can be made thereto and are contemplated herein. It isalso not intended that the invention be limited by the specific examplesprovided within the specification. While the invention has beendescribed with reference to the aforementioned specification, thedescriptions and illustrations of the preferable embodiments herein arenot meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Furthermore, it shall beunderstood that all aspects of the invention are not limited to thespecific depictions, configurations or relative proportions set forthherein which depend upon a variety of conditions and variables. Variousmodifications in form and detail of the embodiments of the inventionwill be apparent to a person skilled in the art. It is thereforecontemplated that the invention shall also cover any such modifications,variations and equivalents. It is intended that the following claimsdefine the scope of the invention and that methods and structures withinthe scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:receiving, at a server of an online payment platform and from a firstsoftware application associated with the online payment platform andexecuting on a first mobile device of a customer, a first request toenter into a transaction with a service provider, the transaction havinga corresponding transaction amount, each of the customer and the serviceprovider having an account including corresponding identifyinginformation stored in a database associated with the online paymentplatform, the online payment platform enabling customers and merchantsto engage in transactions without an exchange of financial informationbetween the customers and the merchants; receiving, at the server andfrom a second software application associated with the online paymentplatform and executing on a second mobile device of the serviceprovider, a second request to process a cardless payment for thetransaction using payment information of the customer, wherein thesecond request serves as an indication that the transaction between theservice provider and the customer is complete, wherein each of the firstmobile device and the second mobile device send a respective request tothe server to download and install a corresponding one of the firstsoftware application and the second software application; determining,at the server and for the transaction, a tipping process, the tippingprocess being one of an automatic tipping process for the transactionwhereby a first tip amount is automatically determined by the server tobe added to the transaction amount, or a manual tipping process wherebya second tip amount to be added to the transaction amount is providedvia the first software application; after receiving the second requestto process the cardless payment, applying one of the first tip amount orthe second tip amount to the transaction amount based on the determinedtipping process; delaying, by the server and after the transactionbetween the service provider and the customer is completed, processingof the cardless payment for the transaction until the first tip amountis applied based on the automatic tipping process, or until one of anexpiration of a threshold timing or the second tip amount is receivedvia the first software application based on the manual tipping process;processing, by the server, the cardless payment for the transactionbased at least on the transaction amount and one of the first tip amountor the second tip amount using the payment information of the customer;and communicating, by the server and to each of the first softwareapplication and the second software application, an electronic messageconfirming the transaction.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim1, wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile are ingeographical proximity of each other at a time of receiving the firstrequest.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: generating, by the server, a digital receipt for thetransaction upon receiving the request to process the cardless payment.4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one or moreoptions for adding the second tip amount are expressed as a percentageof the transaction amount.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim1, wherein one or more options for adding the second tip amount areexpressed as fixed amounts to be added to the transaction amount uponselection.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one ormore options for adding the second tip amount are generated by theserver based on a transaction history of the customer.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein confirming thetransaction includes confirming the processing of the cardless paymentbetween the customer and the service provider.
 8. An online paymentplatform, comprising: one or more memories having computer-readableinstructions stored therein; and one or more processors configured toexecute the computer-readable instructions to: receive, from a firstsoftware application associated with the online payment platform andexecuting on a first mobile device of a customer, a first request toenter into a transaction with a service provider, the transaction havinga corresponding transaction amount, each of the customer and the serviceprovider having an account including corresponding identifyinginformation stored in a database associated with the online paymentplatform, the online payment platform enabling customers and merchantsto engage in transactions without an exchange of financial informationbetween the customers and the merchants; receive, from a second softwareapplication associated with the online payment platform and executing ona second mobile device of the service provider, a second request toprocess a cardless payment for the transaction using payment informationof the customer, wherein the second request serves as an indication thatthe transaction between the service provider and the customer iscomplete, wherein each of the first mobile device and the second mobiledevice send a respective request to a server associated with the onlinepayment platform to download and install a corresponding one of thefirst software application and the second software application;determine, for the transaction, a tipping process, the tipping processbeing one of an automatic tipping process for the transaction whereby afirst tip amount is automatically determined by the server to be addedto the transaction amount, or a manual tipping process whereby a secondtip amount to be added to the transaction amount is provided via thefirst software application; after receiving the second request toprocess the cardless payment, apply one of the first tip amount or thesecond tip amount to the transaction amount based on the determinedtipping process; delay, after the transaction between the serviceprovider and the customer is completed, processing of the cardlesspayment for the transaction until the first tip amount is applied basedon the automatic tipping process, or until one of an expiration of athreshold timing or the second tip amount is received via the firstsoftware application based on the manual tipping process; process thecardless payment for the transaction based at least on the transactionamount and one of the first tip amount or the second tip amount usingthe payment information of the customer; and communicate, to each of thefirst software application and the second software application, anelectronic message confirming the transaction.
 9. The online paymentplatform of claim 8, wherein the first mobile device and the secondmobile are in geographical proximity of each other at a time ofreceiving the first request.
 10. The online payment platform of claim 8,wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute thecomputer-readable instructions to generate a digital receipt for thetransaction upon receiving the request to process the cardless payment.11. The online payment platform of claim 8, wherein one or more optionsfor adding the second tip amount are expressed as a percentage of thetransaction amount.
 12. The online payment platform of claim 8, whereinone or more options for adding the second tip amount are expressed asfixed amounts to be added to the transaction amount upon selection. 13.The online payment platform of claim 8, wherein one or more options foradding the second tip amount are generated by the server based on atransaction history of the customer.
 14. The online payment platform ofclaim 8, wherein confirming the transaction includes confirming theprocessing of the cardless payment between the customer and the serviceprovider.
 15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable mediacomprising computer-readable instructions, which when executed by one ormore processors of a server associated with an online payment platform,cause the server to: receive, from a first software applicationassociated with the online payment platform and executing on a firstmobile device of a customer, a first request to enter into a transactionwith a service provider, the transaction having a correspondingtransaction amount, each of the customer and the service provider havingan account including corresponding identifying information stored in adatabase associated with the online payment platform, the online paymentplatform enabling customers and merchants to engage in transactionswithout an exchange of financial information between the customers andthe merchants; receive, from a second software application associatedwith the online payment platform and executing on a second mobile deviceof the service provider, a second request to process a cardless paymentfor the transaction using payment information of the customer, whereinthe second request serves as an indication that the transaction betweenthe service provider and the customer is complete, wherein each of thefirst mobile device and the second mobile device send a respectiverequest to the server to download and install a corresponding one of thefirst software application and the second software application;determine, for the transaction, a tipping process, the tipping processbeing one of an automatic tipping process for the transaction whereby afirst tip amount is automatically determined by the server to be addedto the transaction amount, or a manual tipping process whereby a secondtip amount to be added to the transaction amount is provided via thefirst software application; after receiving the second request toprocess the cardless payment, apply one of the first tip amount or thesecond tip amount to the transaction amount based on the determinedtipping process; delay, after the transaction between the serviceprovider and the customer is completed, processing of the cardlesspayment for the transaction until the first tip amount is applied basedon the automatic tipping process, or until one of an expiration of athreshold timing or the second tip amount is received via the firstsoftware application based on the manual tipping process; process thecardless payment for the transaction based at least on the transactionamount and one of the first tip amount or the second tip amount usingthe payment information of the customer; and communicate, to each of thefirst software application and the second software application, anelectronic message confirming the transaction.
 16. The one or morenon-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the firstmobile device and the second mobile are in geographical proximity ofeach other at a time of receiving the first request.
 17. The one or morenon-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein theexecution of the computer-readable instructions further cause the serverto generate a digital receipt for the transaction upon receiving therequest to process the cardless payment.
 18. The one or morenon-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein one or moreoptions for adding the second tip amount are expressed as one of apercentage of the transaction amount or fixed amounts to be added to thetransaction amount upon selection
 19. The one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media of claim 15, wherein one or more options foradding the second tip amount are generated by the server based on atransaction history of the customer.
 20. The one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media of claim 15, wherein confirming the transactionincludes confirming the processing of the cardless payment between thecustomer and the service provider.